Chapter 13.3

Meanwhile.

Outside, the sky was half-dark, and a cold wind swept through the dusk. Ming Can caught up with Xu Jiayun and finally found out what had happened.

Cheng Xiuyan had a girlfriend.

Xu Jiayun had gone to give Cheng Xiuyan some water but was suddenly stopped by a freshman girl who demanded that she stay away from her boyfriend.

“I didn’t believe it at first. I thought the girl must have misunderstood. Old Cheng always gives off the impression that he likes you, but then… then she said…” Xu Jiayun choked back a sob. “The night before last, Cheng Xiuyan walked her back to her dorm and even… even kissed her at the dorm entrance…”

“What a scumbag,” Ming Can said coldly. “At least you see him for who he is now. Guys like him, who act like they care about everyone, probably have a whole harem behind the scenes.”

Xu Jiayun covered her face: “I really thought… all the girls around him were just… friends…”

Ming Can thought about how Cheng Xiuyan had rushed over to protect Xu Jiayun on the basketball court earlier. It was hard to figure him out, and it made sense that Xu Jiayun had been fooled by him.

Having a girlfriend but still being so attentive to other girls—what was that about?

Could it really just be pure kindness, being helpful to such an extreme degree?

Since Cheng Xiuyan had also protected Ming Can and Miaomiao earlier, Ming Can held back the flood of harsh words she wanted to say, limiting herself to criticizing his terrible behavior in relationships.

Ming Can was straightforward and had always been the type to go all out for her friends. After Xu Jiayun left in despair, Ming Can returned to the basketball gym alone. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and she couldn’t focus on the rest of the game.

Miaomiao noticed Ming Can’s mood and brought over the water bottle, pouring her a capful of cool water to help her cool down.

“Thanks, Miaomiao,” Ming Can said, forcing a smile as she drank it all in one go.

A moment later.

She stared at the water bottle cap in her hand, her eyelids twitching, and suddenly asked, “You didn’t let anyone else drink from this, did you?”

Miaomiao: “Uh…”

Ming Can: “What do you mean, ‘uh’?”

Miaomiao: “Uh… Big brother scored again! He made a shot from really far away!”

Ming Can gave him a sidelong glance, feeling like the kid was deliberately changing the subject.

She was still holding the water bottle cap in her hand. On the court, the guy who had just scored a three-pointer happened to switch from offense to defense and ran past Ming Can.

Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air.

The light green cap was very noticeable, and the young man’s gaze paused for a moment.

Ming Can’s grip on the cap tightened, and she quickly tossed the hot potato (the cap) back to her dear son.

In the second half of the game, fouls from both sides increased dramatically, dragging the game out for nearly forty minutes before it finally ended.

On the scoreboard, the Computer Science team had won with a crushing victory.

The moment the whistle blew, cheers and screams filled the air. The red-jerseyed players huddled together, arms around each other, celebrating their win. Then, at the photographer’s direction, they stayed on the court to take a few group photos.

Miaomiao, still holding Chi Xiao’s phone, ran over and stood next to the photographer, snapping pictures.

Ming Can followed behind Miaomiao.

After the photos were taken and the crowd began to disperse, Cheng Xiuyan passed by Ming Can and asked her, puzzled, “Where’s Jiayun?”

Ming Can: “Don’t play dumb.”

Cheng Xiuyan: “What am I playing dumb about?”

Ming Can frowned.

She took Miaomiao’s hand. This time, since she didn’t have to go far, she didn’t leave Miaomiao with anyone. Instead, she pulled him along and found a quieter spot to confront Cheng Xiuyan.

In full view of everyone, one of the Computer Science team’s famous handsome guys was led away by a young woman with a child. The teammates couldn’t help but gossip—

“I thought that girl was into Brother Xiao at first, but it turns out her target was Old Cheng.”

“What are you talking about? Can’t she just be here to watch the game?”

“Hey, wasn’t it you who told me this girl brought a kid and had some high-level flirting skills?”

“I was wrong,” the guy laughed. “I thought she was pretty ordinary at first, but then I accidentally bumped into her and saw her face up close. She’s stunning, like, at least campus beauty level. A girl like that doesn’t need to flirt with anyone, right?”

“Really?” Another guy didn’t quite believe it and turned to ask Chi Xiao, who was nearby. “Brother Xiao, you know her, right? How does she actually look?”

Chi Xiao had just finished a bottle of water. He crushed the empty bottle and tossed it into the trash can, his expression blank as he said, “Mind your own business.”

Everyone: …

In a corner of the gym.

Ming Can put a pair of noise-canceling headphones on Miaomiao and repeated everything Xu Jiayun had told her to Cheng Xiuyan.

“Girlfriend?” Cheng Xiuyan was more shocked than anyone. “I don’t have one? That freshman girl sprained her ankle the other day, so I just walked her back to her dorm. We’re just friends.”

Ming Can: “She said you kissed her.”

“…” Cheng Xiuyan thought for a moment. “When I helped her out of the car, I might’ve accidentally brushed her face. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I thought it was just an accident…”

The story was so gross that Ming Can instinctively covered Miaomiao’s ears: “You didn’t explain? You kissed her face and just acted like nothing happened?”

Standing in front of Ming Can, Cheng Xiuyan inexplicably felt like he was shorter than her, weighed down by her natural, domineering aura: “I didn’t handle it well.”

Ming Can: “Are you really this clueless or just pretending? You can’t even maintain boundaries with the opposite sex?”

Cheng Xiuyan: “If a female classmate sprains her ankle, can’t I help her? If you got hurt, I’d walk you home too.”

Oh my God!

What a saint!

For a split second, Ming Can almost blurted out Xu Jiayun’s feelings.

But she stopped herself just in time and sneered: “That’s great. I support you spreading your love all over the world. Maybe you can even get nailed to a cross and ascend to heaven. And don’t ask about Jiayun anymore. She’s thrilled to hear you have a girlfriend and went out to buy fireworks to celebrate.”

Cheng Xiuyan: “I really don’t. They’re all just friends. Jiayun is my best friend.”

“That’s so dirty. Sweetie, don’t listen,” Ming Can said, still covering Miaomiao’s ears.

She didn’t want to spend another second with this saint. She turned and walked away, leading Miaomiao step by step toward the gym exit.

A cold breeze seeped through the cracks in the glass doors. Ming Can stopped just inside, pulling out her phone to call a ride before heading out.

Too much had happened in just over an hour. Her mind was clogged with all sorts of messy thoughts, making it hard to think clearly.

Summing up the day, she still felt like she’d gained something—

The guys here are all a bit off. Stay away from them. That’s the right move.

Miaomiao stood next to Ming Can, looking back at the basketball court behind them. He asked, “Are we leaving already?”

Ming Can: “Yeah, I’m calling a ride.”

Miaomiao: “Wait, don’t call yet.”

Ming Can glanced down at him: “We don’t need to say goodbye to Chi Xiao. We’re not that close.”

Miaomiao looked up and pulled a small, square object out of his pocket: “But… big brother’s phone is still with me.”

Ming Can: …

She needed to add one more point to her summary of the day: Getting close to men lowers your IQ.

Ming Can had no choice but to cancel the ride and head back into the gym with Miaomiao.

Most of the spectators had already left, and the noise had died down. The once-crowded flow of people was no longer packed.

With a quick glance ahead, Ming Can spotted a tall figure standing in the same spot where the rest area had been.

Under the cold, bright lights, the person’s skin was almost blindingly pale. The sleeves of his workout shirt were rolled up to his shoulders, revealing his lean, muscular arms.

Ming Can let go of Miaomiao’s hand, allowing him to run toward that person while she slowly trailed behind.

“Brother Ah Xiao, here’s your phone,” Miaomiao said, holding it out with both hands and flashing a bright smile. “I took a lot of photos for you today!”

At the same time.

Miaomiao called out to Uncle System in his mind, officially selecting Chi Xiao as his translation target and activating his superpower.

Chi Xiao: “Hmm.”

Miaomiao perked up his ears.

Unfortunately, apart from that “hmm,” he didn’t hear anything else.

Miaomiao felt both disappointed and happy. Disappointed because Dad’s inner thoughts seemed as cold as his outer demeanor, but happy because if Dad’s thoughts matched his words, he could save his energy to hear more.

Ming Can finally made her way over to them and gave Chi Xiao a small, polite smile: “Thanks for today, Senior.”

[Hmph, you’re taking care of your own son, and I have to thank you? The world really has no justice. Who’s going to thank me? Men are such useless yet unfairly privileged creatures—except for Miaomiao, of course.]

Miaomiao: …

He felt that Mom’s level of being two-faced in front of Dad had reached new heights. Her expression was flawless, but just hearing that one thought, he could feel his energy draining rapidly!

Chi Xiao replied indifferently: “No problem.”

He fiddled with his phone, his long fingers tossing it up and down aimlessly. Just as Miaomiao thought Dad was once again speaking his mind and didn’t need translation, a faint, indistinct voice suddenly echoed in his head. Since it was his first time translating Dad’s thoughts, the process was a bit slow—

Chi Xiao: [Should I ask for her contact info?]

Miaomiao: …

What?

This thought had absolutely nothing to do with what Dad had just said out loud. Miaomiao began to doubt if he’d heard it correctly.

Ming Can continued the awkward small talk: “You played really well today, Senior.”

Ming Can: [Not just well—it was explosive. So explosive that the screams from the girls behind me could’ve blown my head off. Who’s going to compensate me for my mental distress? I’m definitely avoiding any of your games in the future.]

Chi Xiao: “Not bad.”

Chi Xiao: [Should I ask for her contact info?]

Why is it still this?

Miaomiao stared intently at Chi Xiao’s face. His expression didn’t change at all, and the way he looked at Ming Can was calm and indifferent, as if he didn’t care about her at all. But if his superpower wasn’t malfunctioning, he had already asked the same question in his mind twice.

What a weird dad!

Miaomiao clenched his fists, focusing all his energy to keep translating.

Ming Can: “It’s getting late. I’ll take Miaomiao and head out now.”

Ming Can: [If I didn’t have to return your phone, I’d almost be home by now. Why would you, an adult, casually lend your phone to a kid? Don’t you know it’s bad for their eyes? And what’s with that weird password? 818? What’s 818? Is your birthday on August 18th? Are you secretly in love with me or something?]

Chi Xiao: “Are you taking a ride?”

Chi Xiao: [Should I ask for her contact info?]

He’s repeated it three times now.

Miaomiao tapped his head.

Could his superpower really be broken?

If it’s broken, stop draining his energy! Miaomiao’s head was already feeling a bit dizzy. The conversation between Dad and Mom was just too terrifying. He had been so focused on watching the game today and was already feeling tired. Now, he felt like… he really couldn’t hold on much longer… but he still wanted to keep listening…

Ming Can: “Yeah.”

Ming Can: [You’re supposed to be the unattainable highland flower. Why are you asking me questions? Your character’s falling apart, you know? Stop talking. I’m leaving now.]

Chi Xiao: “Wait.”

Chi Xiao: [Should I ask for her contact info? Also, my car’s at school…]

[Warning, warning. Host’s energy depleted. Host…]

Before Miaomiao could even finish hearing the second half of Dad’s thoughts, the system’s shrill warning was drowned out by an overwhelming wave of sleepiness.

His eyes closed uncontrollably, his legs gave out, and he slumped to the ground.

“Miaomiao!”

The last thing he felt before completely passing out was Mom’s panicked scream and Dad’s strong arms catching him…